Zelda - Shadows Return
by Krack Munkie
Summary: Around 100 years or so after the events of Ocerina Of Time (Child Era), The Cycle of Eternity (The Legend Of Zelda) has begun anew with the Revival of The Dark One. This time, he has learned from the past, and has lead his army outright and brought Hyrule to ruin. The Princess Zelda, and her childhood friend Link must band together and defeat The Dark One once again.
1. Chapter 1

The Cycle Continues

It's kind of funny how things work sometimes. Like, take me for example. I went from barely knowing how to swing a sword, to being some kinda legendary warrior. I went from worrying about simple things like "I wonder what kind of grueling training Commander Eagus has in store for me today?" To being afraid to sleep some nights, in fear that something wants to kill me. I didn't ask for this. I was just some guy who wanted to fulfill his father's legacy, and maybe impress a pretty girl along the way. Now the fate of a whole kingdom rests on my shoulders. I know, you're just itching to know "How did this happen?" Well, I guess I should start from the beginning. Get comfortable, this could take awhile.

It was dark. I mean, can't see anything two feet in front of you dark. I was being chased by I don't even know what. I couldn't see it, but I could hear it. It was loud and monstrous. It's heavy footsteps thundered behind me as I ran through the darkness. I was terrified. I was so sure that if it caught me, it would devour me whole. My legs were starting to grow tired, I couldn't run much longer. Suddenly, the footsteps grew more rapid, like whatever was chasing me grew more legs. There was a faint sound, a voice. I couldn't make it out, the steps were too loud and heavy. It was gaining on me. I ran faster. But it seemed no matter how fast I ran it was faster. The sound just came faster and louder. Before long, it was close enough to where the vibration of its footsteps almost knocked me off balance. Finally, my legs went numb and I collapsed. The steps even more rapid, the voice became clearer. A girl's voice called in between the steps. After a few times, I could even make it out. She was calling me. Suddenly, the monster let out a loud, angry cry as it reached down to devour me.

I sprung upright in my bed, gasping for air. It was a dream. A loud crack of thunder boomed through the night. The patter of rain hit the roof hard before trickling down to the puddles forming on the ground. Just then there was a pounding at my door. "If your home, please open the door!" The voice called, muffled from the thick wood door. I quickly scrambled out of bed, and nearly tripped over the red throw rug in the center of the room. As soon as it was within reach, I threw open the door. No sooner was the threshold clear, the source of the voice collapsed into my arms. The lantern she had held in hand fell into the puddle at her feet, extinguishing the flame. I ignored the fact that her cloak was drenched from the pounding rain, and pulled her close to my chest. My heart sank, I knew something was wrong. "What happened? What's the matter Z-..." I froze in mid-sentence as she raised her head, her powder blue eyes locking with mine. I could see she was trying to hold back her tears, but her pain was as obvious as the night sky. "It's terrible! The castle! It's happened! And Father-... Oh Father!" Finally, she lost it. She shoved her face into my chest, and began crying loud enough to wake the dead as tears erupted from her eyes, streaming down her pale face.

A cold wind blew through the door, slamming the heavy raindrops against our embrace. I felt her body quiver in my arms and placed a comforting hand on the back of her head, lacing my fingers through her wet blonde hair. "Hey." I began in the most comforting tone I could come up with. "Lets get you out of this rain." I said, before picking her up and cradling her in my arms. It was something I was used to by now. After all, when we were kids, I used to carry her around whenever she got tired from walking. And now, years later, she only weighed all of about 140 pounds soaking wet. This was plenty lighter than the armor I was used to wearing for my Knight Training.

Cradling her in my arms, she clutched the sleeves of my shirt as if her life depended on it, her face buried into my left shoulder as she continued to sob. I reached out with my foot and kicked the wooden door closed before walking back to my bed. I carefully sat on the bed, and grabbed the nearest blanket, wrapping us both in it, as we were both soaked from the rain. I sat in silence, letting her cry until she couldn't any longer.

As she did so, my mind began to wander. I thought of the past. I remembered her and I as kids. Dad was Captain Commander of The Knights of Hyrule at the time. This was not only due to his superior skills as a Knight of Hyrule, but as the close personal friend and bodyguard of King Daltus Link Gaepora III. As his son, I spent a lot of time around the Royal Family so that I could learn the ropes, and take dad's place one day. No pressure right? So, much to my own dismay, I was held to some pretty high standards. Most of The Royal Family, and just people in general never saw the real me. I was always Link, the son of Captain Commander Gustaf, The young boy destined to protect The Hyrule Royal Family. According to dad, he and mom even named me after both the King and The Legendary Hero of Time. The only people that saw me for who I was (parents aside) were the King himself, and his young daughter Zelda. Who grew up to be the pretty girl that currently resides in my lap, crying uncontrollably.

After a few short minutes Zelda calmed down. It was silent for a few seconds before I took the initiative and began firing off questions. "Alright, now what happened? What about the King? Is he in some kinda trouble?" With each question, Zelda's expression became more and more horrific; tears began to well in the corners of her eyes again. She fought back the tears this time. "Link... The castle has been attacked. They came from the desert. They were using some kind of Black Magic. The Royal Knights tried their best, but it was no use. Father even took up sword and tried to fight. But... But... Oh goddesses Link, he killed him!" The tears began once again as she buried her head into my chest, clinging to my sleeves for dear life again. "He killed everyone!" she shouted in between sobs.

I couldn't tell for sure, but I'm sure there are Stalfos with a darker complexion than I had at that exact moment. "Who? Who killed them?!" Admittedly my tone was harsh, but death was something I've barely been able to handle since dad died. It was 9 years ago, defending the king from an unknown assassin who attempted to take the king's life. Zelda held back her tears and we locked eyes again. "It's him. I don't know how I know, but I just know it's him. The Desert Man." she whispered the name, almost as if she was afraid someone would hear.

"The Desert Man" I repeated in shock. "No... No! No, it can't be him!" I shouted, terrified. Any grade school Hylian could tell you about 'The Legend of Zelda.' It's a huge part of Hyrule history. It's the story about one of the first Queens of Hyrule, and The Hero of Time. It also tells of The Desert Man, a male Garudo, who lead an Army of Darkness. He planned to use his evil power to rule The Kingdom of Hyrule. But with the courage of The Hero of Time, and the wisdom of the Princess Zelda, The Desert Man's plans were foiled. Thus he was executed for plans to commit grand treason against Hyrule and her people. Because of her wisdom, it became tradition that every first born princess in the family be named Zelda. This was all common knowledge. The entire kingdom was based off of this legend. "He's dead, everyone knows that. He was exe-..." Suddenly, I froze. The last part of the legend is the final words of The Desert Man. He swore that he would return and seek revenge. "But he can't come back." Surely The Godesses wouldn't allow such an evil man to control the kingdom that our ancestors worked so hard to build. Or, so I thought.

"Link... there's more." she whispered. "There's more to the legend. It's only passed down through The Royal Family, and the most trusted scholars in the land. It's most commonly known as The Cycle of Eternity." She wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled a few times before explaining The Cycle to me. The short version is that the roles of The Hero, The Princess, and The Dark One are each part of Hyrules history that has repeated since ancient times. The Dark One has taken many forms, but his goal is always the same: To corrupt, destroy, and rule the land of Hyrule. However, The Hero and The Princess are chosen by fate to reincarnate, and work together to defeat The Dark One. Recent Hylian history gives the The Dark One a form. It's said, through prophecy, that a man from the desert will lead his army of darkness into The Kingdom of Hyrule in pursuit of The Golden Power. Only then, when The Dark One takes form, will the peasant hero, and the princess must join forces. Only by combining courage and wisdom will they defeat The Dark One, and restore peace to Hyrule.

As she explained the legend to me, it was clear that The Chosen of Wisdom was the girl that I grew up with. "Huh... Who would have guessed you were so important." I teased. She smiled a bit "Hey, I AM Royalty you know. You should have more respect." she said snobbishly. "Oh. Well _excuse_ me, Princess!" I fired back. It only took a second for the both of us to break into laughter. It only took a moment for a loud crack of thunder to silence our laughter, causing her to once more bury her head into my chest. I couldn't resist the smile that played across my face. I always found it funny that The Princess of Hyrule, a woman that has stared down and demanded respect from men twice her size, was afraid of a little thunder.

After a few moments, of trying to get a grasp on the situation the world was currently in, I spoke up. "So... what do we do from here?" I asked somberly. She took a moment to think it over. "I guess, It's time to find the hero. ...You'll come with me, wont you?" her voice was calm, but I knew Zelda. Her eyes practically begged me to help her. "Well, I suppose it is kinda my duty as a Knight-in-training to protect my princess." With a smile, she climbed off the bed and straightened out her, still sopping wet clothes. "Alright, then whenever you're ready, we'll go to the castle. Or at least what's left of it." She said, as she headed for the door. I quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. "Are you crazy?! If The Dark One or... Desert Man... or whoever it is. If he attacked the castle, then he probably knows who you are. And I'd be willing to bet he wants you dead." she quickly spun around, and gave me that royal scowl she was known for when exerting her authority. "Excuse me?! As your Princess I demand that you-" "NO Zel!"

The room was silent for a moment. I released a deep sigh. I had that harsh tone again. "Look, he's going to be expecting you. But I doubt he's going to expect you to come running to some peasant. We'll stay here until morning alright? We'll check out the castle tomorrow. First thing, I Promise." With a look of defeat, she plopped back onto the edge of the bed and pouted childishly. Princess or not, she was still the same girl I grew up with. Although, I'm not so sure she actually grew up.

Noticing her pouting, I reached for my pillow and threw it at her. She easily deflected it, brought it to her chest and hugged it before sticking her tongue out at me. "C'mon, get over here before you catch cold or something" I nagged, grabbing her arm and jerking her toward me. She jerked back, playfully. "I'm The Princess here. You can't tell me what to do." she said before sticking her tongue out again. I scoffed "Yeah, and you're a brat too. Seriously, you're such a kid sometimes." Just then, a bolt of lightning touched down in the yard, letting out a crash of thunder so strong the walls vibrated. With a quick squeak, Zelda wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my chest again. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Case in point: You're still afraid of thunder." I joked, wrapping the blanket around us again. "Shuddup" she mumbled, her face still buried.

Before long, Zelda had fallen asleep. I however, stayed up and listened to the storm, thinking about all that had happened. She put on a brave face, but I could see in her eyes that Zelda was devastated by it all. After all, her father was murdered right in front of her. And on top of it all, we had to go find some hero in the morning, so we can basically prevent some evil jerk from destroying everything. I used to think _I_ had problems.


	2. Chapter 2

Warrior Princess

The warm sunlight poured down on my face, and the obnoxious sounds of a nearby crowing Cucoo pounded at my eardrums. It must have been morning already, although it felt like I had just gone to sleep. My hand fumbled around until I felt the fringe of my blanket. With a single swift motion I rolled over and threw the blanket over my head, hoping to shield myself from the world for at least another hour. "Oh no you don't." a familiar voice commanded. "C'mon sleepy head, time to wake up."

Zelda always was an early riser. When I was a kid, I'd stay at the castle often. It seemed like every morning she would be there to wake me up at the crack of dawn. "…no." I grunted childishly, cocooning myself in the blanket. I felt a brief tug on the blanket. "Alright, Get up!" I tugged back on the blanket with a grumble. "C'mon Zel, just a few more hours." "Oh No! As my Knight, you promised to protect me. And you're not protecting anything while laying in bed!" she had that commanding tone again. I let out a deep, annoyed sigh. Just as I was about to concede, I felt a hard tug at the sheet I was laying on. "GET UP!" she shouted as she ripped out the sheet from under me, rolling me onto the floor.

A bit dazed, I looked up. There was a blonde, slender girl towering over me with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. She had, at some point, ditched the cloak. She was currently wearing a pink gown, decorated with fine jewels and a golden bird-like symbol on the front. Granted, it looked a little damp still and stained with mud. All of this was no doubt due to the long trek from the castle. She noticed me examining her. "What is it?" "You should really take that off." I said bluntly. She looked herself over before her face became flushed. She quickly covered hers sensitive areas, as if I were staring at her naked. "Link! Y-..You shouldn't talk like that!" Quickly understanding where she was going with that comment, I scoffed. "Oh, Zelda please! You know that's not what I meant! I mean if The Desert Man is looking for a princess, maybe you should look less like a princess!" She took a moment to consider my words, before the color in her face slowly began to return to normal. "Well… What else am I going to wear?!" she blatted, still covering herself and trying to sound angry. "Relax would ya? I've got an idea." I said, standing to my feet.

I dusted myself off a bit before walking across the house to a closet. "Dad said it belonged to a distant relative or something. I don't really know why he kept it." I explained as I began to dig through all the old junk that dad had kept in the closet. Before long, my hands touched the old, hard wood underneath some of my old kid's clothes. I fumbled around the large wooden object untill my hands met with a metal handle on the side. With a few hard tugs, I dragged out an old wooden chest from the closet. "Pretty sure this is it." I said before lifting the lid. The old hinges made a grinding sound as they were made to work since who knows how long ago. "Yeah, there's no mistaking this old thing." I said, grabbing one of the garments. It was some kind of top cover for the dull blue body suit piece that sat folded in the bottom of the chest. It looked like it had been a shirt once until the sleeves had been ripped off and it torn down either side.

Her light blue eyes seemed locked onto the large symbol embroidered into the chest of the garment. "Hey, can I see that?" Zelda asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice. With a shrug, I tossed the ragged piece of clothing to her. With seemingly little to no effort, she snatched it from the air the very moment it was in arms reach. In the same motion, she presented the ragged shirt in front of her and gazed intently at it the magnifying glass-like symbol embroidered on the front. "Zelda?" Upon hearing her name, she blinked a few times as if snapping out of a daze. "Sorry, just… I feel as if I've seen this somewhere before." She responded, dully, as if still concentrating. "It's not any royal symbol I've seen before." I thought aloud. "No, It's definitely not of the Royal Family. …it's something else. I just can't place what." She responded, her eyes still locked onto the shirt. "Well, I'm sure it will come to you. Just put the stuff on would ya?" She sighed in defeat. "Fine, but you're going to have to go outside while I change." She smiled playfully and stuck out her tongue. "Nice try though." I snapped my fingers "Curses, foiled again." I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.

I stood up, from the ground and dusted myself off. "Alright, if you need something, I'll be just outside the door." I said before pulling open the large wooden door and stepping out into the morning light, closing it behind me. I squinted my eyes as the warm, blinding morning sun hit my face. "Well, at least the weather's nice." I muttered to myself. I couldn't help but smile to myself, as I let myself be distracted by every last element of nature. The sound of chirping bird's filled my ears as I watched several of them sing while nesting in a nearby tree. Just then, a gentle spring breeze began to blow, playing with my sandy blonde hair. My nostrils were greeted by the smell of slightly wet grass. I always loved mornings after a good rain. The smell of moisture in the air on a warm spring morning to me was ecstasy. Just then a voice called to me. "Link. Uhm… can you help me with something." Zelda's voice called sheepishly. "Sure Zel" I responded, as I turned around and stepped back inside.

As my eyes re-adjusted, I saw her standing in front of the large vanity mirror I had leaning in the corner. What she had been wearing when I last saw her, was now lazily wadded up and tossed next to the mirror. The ragged shirt-like cover was draped carefully over the mirror the front symbol facing her. But once I laid eyes on her, it was all I could do to keep my jaw closed. She stood in front of the mirror, her back to me, practically half naked. Her chest was mostly bound in wrapping, but she still insisted on folding her arms to cover herself more. She clearly wanted this disguise to be convincing. She hung her head sheepishly, and her reflection in the mirror was a bit flushed. As I struggled for words, she muttered, clearly embarrassed. "I need help."

"I…uhh…-" I stammered "The stupid thing laces in the back!" She blatted. "Oh! Right! Yeah, hang on." I replied. I tried my best not to stare; she was my friend after all. "Ok… stay calm. It's nothing weird, she just needs some help." I thought to myself, taking a deep breath. As I stepped forward, I lost my focus. Through all her heavy dresses she wore all the time, I never really noticed she had such a wonderful figure. As I began to pay attention to her slender figure, and how the morning light glistened off her alabaster skin, she grabbed the top of the bodysuit that draped loosely on the floor, and yanked it up to her chest as she turned her back to me. She probably caught me staring, but it was enough to snap me back to reality.

I moved her, now braded, long blonde hair and helped her pull the suit on and over her shoulders. She adjusted the it to fit better before I grabbed the lacing that started at her lower back; I looped in through each of the sides and up her back. Finally, I jerked the gap closed and instantly heard a sudden grunt escape her. "Too tight?" I asked timidly. "No, its fine. I AM a princess, They cram me into stuff like this all the time." She said with an awkward smile. I figured she was lying, but I wasn't about to make a big deal out of it. "Right." I said somberly at the thought of what little royalty meant anymore.

I tied the strings together and took a step back. "Alright. Looks good." With that, Zelda turned on her heel and smiled. "So, do I look any different?" The bodysuit seemed to fit as if it were designed specifically for her. It hugged her body tightly, complimenting every aspect of her figure. "Uh… Yeah, a bit." Was all I felt I could say. I quickly began to feel the blood rush to my cheeks. "But we gotta do something about your face." I blatted. She raised an eyebrow, and spoke in an annoyed tone. "And WHAT exactly is wrong with my face?" "I didn't mean THAT." I shot back, choosing my words carefully. "Lots of people around Hyrule will recognize your face. We need to hide that." I turned around and began to scanning the room. "I'm sure I have a Happy Mask around here somewhere. We can use that." "Wait." She protested. "You want me to wear a mask meant for little kids?" she asked, clearly opposed to the idea. "Hey, if you have a better plan, I'm all ears princess." I teased. Unexpectedly, she responded. "Actually, I can just use this" she said as she took another cloth wrapping and began to slowly wrap it around her face, leaving nothing but her sapphire eyes and random parts of her golden hair peeking through.

"One more thing." She said, grabbing the loose shirt from the mirror and throwing it on over top. I took a step back and examined her. The shirt had a strange symbol on it. It looked like some kind of eerie-looking magnifying glass, with eye in the center of the glass. The shirt fit loosely, helping to mask her figure. "Hey, you ACTUALLY look like some kind of ninja warrior or something." I teased. "Now you just need a weapon." I said as I walked to the bed and grabbed my father's sword off the wall. "Actually…" she confessed. "My swordsmanship isn't very good, especially compared to you. You use it; I'm actually a much better archer than anything." She said sheepishly. Suddenly, an idea struck me. "Oh. …right. Uhm… just a sec." I said, as I reached under my bed and pulled out a long case. I knelt to the ground and slowly opened the case. Inside was a wooden long bow, with many royal symbols on it. Additionally, there was a quiver full of arrows.

Zelda casually strolled over, looked into the case and gasped. "Link. …it's beautiful. ..was that your-" "-It was actually mom's." I cut her off "Dad used to brag 'Your mom was the best shot in all of Hyrule. Not even the king's best archers can shoot half as well as she did.'" "Link I couldn't." "No. You take it. Mom would have wanted you to have it. …she always did like you. Dad too." I said, forcing a smile. "Miss Tetra, your mom. She… was always so nice." She said, as she carefully knelt next to the case, and lifted the weapon made of Hylian Oak. "It's so light." She murmured, almost entranced. Quickly, she snapped her head up, and her eyes met mine. "…I mean… Thank you." I couldn't help but smile. "Sure Zel. I mean, better than it rotting away in some dusty old case, right? And I can't use it. I couldn't hit a Dodongo from 10 feet away" Although somewhat embarrassed, I chuckled a bit at my own joke. "Sheik." She said calmly, gazing at the weapon again. I blinked a moment, confused at the word. "Huh?" I asked. "Call me Sheik, from now on." She said, looking up at me. I really couldn't read her expression, but I swore she was smiling.

"I see. You're really getting into this. Alright then Sheik, what's our next move?" I asked with another chuckle. She cleared her throat. "Well…" She began, her voice a few pitches deeper. "I say, we arm ourselves, and return to Hyrule Castle. There's an item there that will help us find The Hero." She said, grabbing the quiver of arrows, slinging it around her back. Had she lost her mind? Surely, there wasn't much left of the castle. "Ze-..Sheik. Are you sure that's…" "Trust me. There is one place in the castle even Gannon can't reach." I shrugged "Alright, If your sure."

Before leaving the house I had lived in for a majority of my life potentially forever, I packed a few quick things. Finally, as I walked to the front door, I glanced up above the door frame. Hung above it was a decorative wooden kite shield. It had the crest of the knight's of Hyrule engraved on it. It was probably a trophy or something ceremonial from my dad's academy days. I reached up and grabbed from the hanger and slid in onto the arm opposite to my sword arm. It was sort of light, and certainly wouldn't last long against any kind of swordsman. But it was better than nothing for sure. "Coming fearless Knight?" Zelda teased from the front yard. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm commin." I said, stepping out into the early morning daylight, closing the door behind me.


End file.
